Method of making magnesian cement



Patented Sept. 13, 1932 B YAL W GEL B 0F RE LE COLORADO I ivrnrnon or axine ntAGnEsIAn, CEMENT No Drawing. Application ghee July 26,

This invention relates to a'processof making acement comprised chiefly ofmagnesium compounds and has for its principal'object a general improvement in the method of making a magnesian cement. s

A particular object of the present invention is to provide an improved magnesian cement which does not require the use of magnesite for its manufacture.

It is known that when magnesite, the pure carbonate of magnesium, is calcined at a low heat, and the resultant magnesia is powdered and mixed with a solution of magnesium 1 chloride, a strong and hard composition results which -is commonly called Sorel cement.'

In this composition, however, part of the magnesium chloride does not combine'with the magnesia, and owing to its deliquescent nature. it attracts and absorbs moisture from the air, causing dampness'and unsightlyef- 'florescence, and eventually an impalrment 'of the soundness ofthe composition, since the uncombined magnesium chloride, when in I hquid form, acts as a solvent ofthe composition.

Furthermore, in making Sorel cement, it

has been necessary to use only the pure grades of magnesite, owing to the detrimental effect of even'small quantities of calcium lime upon thiscomposition, and since pure magnesite is of rare occurrence and is v accordingly costly and difficult to' rocure,

the uses of compositions made there rom are N more or less restricted. V e

In my present process I overcome these faults by producing suflicient magnesia for the initial reaction with magnesium chloride, and thereafter byreacting magnesium sulphite with calcium hydrate I produce additional magnesia to react withexc'e'ss magnesium chloride, and at the same time I convert the lime hydrate, which otherwise'would constitute a detriment to the cement, into a selenitized lime with independent hydraulic properties, which acts as a component'o'f my cement and tends to increase'the wet strength thereof. V,

The following description sets forth in de-' tail one approved method of carryingout the 1927.. Serial n. 208,660.

constituting but one of the various ways in whiflch the principle of the invention may be use I In accordance with the present invention it is not required to use magnesite; On the contrary, I prefer'touse the common and abundant dolomites or magnesian limestones.

Such magnesianlimestone is accordingly firstbroken andcrushed to such size as will pass through an opening of say, one inch in diameter. I

The material, thus crushed, is fed into a kiln and calcined at a temperature of from 900 C. to 1100 C. for a period of fromthirty minutes to one hour. The duration of the heating period is naturally dependent, to a degree, uponthe composition of the limestone with respect to its magnesium carbonate content, and also,"upon' the structure of the stone. I find, however, that ;a marked uniformity of result is obtained, even without allowing for variations in composition or structure. 7' i While a heating interval of forty minutes therefore usually employed, I do not 'wish to be restricted to any definite period. L

The material from the calcination step, consisting of caustic magnesia, together with calcium lime and some undissociated calcium, carbonate, is then discharged fro m' the kiln and is hydrated in the usual manner and reduced to a more or less pulverized form.

The hydrated product isthen subjected to .the action of commingled' gases of carbon; I dioxide and sulphur dioxide at a temperature of from 300 ,C. to 700 (1, at which temperature I find that carbon dioxide does not rejassociate with the magnesia but-by reason'of its affinity for the calcium'lime it: causes the sulphur dioxide to be selectively absorbed by the magnesia to .formmagnesium sulphite. At the same time .thetemperature is not sufficient .to drive ofi the water of hydration from the calcium lime;

The treatment with the gases would be continued, theoretically, until the residual I calcium lime in the product was balanced molecularly by the magnesium sulphite formed. In practice, however,lit is not necsults by test, and ordinarily of'substantially the same duration as the calcination period.

Sulphur dioxide for the foregoing step may be obtained by burning sulphur or pyrite,

or as I have found, by using a' coal high in .sulphur for the calcination .step, wherebysome of the desired magnesium sulphite is formed duringthe calcmation, and the remainder from gases recovered from the cal cination step.

The material is then cooled and pulverized or separated by air, depending on the degree of pulverization affected by the hydratlon :step.

The pulverized product, thus prepared, then contains, some magnesia, some magnesium sulphite, and some calcium hydrate.

When magnesium chloride solution at say H2O". B.-is added to the pulverized product,

prepared as above described, a reaction immediately takes place between the magnesia and a portion of the magnesium chloride as.

. in the "case with a calcined magnesite In addition, but more slowly, a reaction takes place between the ,magnesium sulphite and formed achemical magnesia which reacts as quickly as formed with excess magnesium chloride, while on the other hand the calcium hydrate becomes selenitized by the sulphite radiclc and thereby developes hydraulic properties and a considerable cementing value. Since these reactions recur over. a considerable periodwith recurrent wetting or exposure to weather, the strength and weather-proof qualities of the. cement improve with age.

It is known that the mineral, magnesite, seldom occurs as the pure carbonate of magnesium but that it usually contains impurities which affect its suitability for use in oxychloride cements. Of these impurities calcium carbonate usually predominates and constitutes so serious an objection that mage these cements.

nesites containing more than 2.6% of calcium carbonate have been considered unfit for carbonate of calcium and magnesium which may be expressed as:

MgCO -l-MgCO OaCO or an intermixture of pure magnesite and dolomite and the magnesite cannot be dis-v sociated without dissociating the dolomite.

The occurrence of calcium. carbonate with magnesite is that of a double The result is that when such magnesites are calcined the calcium carbonate contained is converted into calcium lime, and as such, reacts with magnesium chloride in the making of an oxychloride cement and forms calcium chloride, thus:

" MgCl (MO I H O CaCl 4 Mg (OH) 2 which is detrimental to the oxychloride ceing with any such calcium chloride formed as an intermediary step in the ultimate re- ,actions sought, as shown in the following equations MgGl Ca0 H O CaCl +Mg OH) 2 CaCl +MgSO CaSO MgCl I desire to call attention to the fact that the sequence of certain of the above described steps may be altered advantageously under certain conditions without departing from the scope and principle of this invention. For example, in the case where the calcination is vconducted in an atmosphere of sulphur dioxide, as in the case where a fuel containing sulphur is used, it is desirable to effect thehydration step after the treatment with sulphur'dioxide and carbon dioxide, to avoid a premature reaction between the calcium lime. and the magnesium sulphite. The hydration in this case may be effected by means; of steam, or by the water of the magnesium chloride solution.

While I have described in detail one method of manufacturing my cement, it will be obviousthat the same, or an equivalent, product, may readily be produced by mixing the various ingredients, which I produce in my specific process, or by mixing one or more of the variousingredients with compounds containing the others, Without departing from the scope of this invention.

Particular attention is called to the fact that a wide variation in the percentages of the Various ingredients of my cement is practicable, and, indeed is frequently desirable, in the production of cements of different characteristics or for different purposes. For example, the setting time, hardness,

.worlrability, brittleness, and other characteristics may be changed at will by varying do not, therefore, wish tobe restricted to definite proportions of the various ingredients.

IVhile I prefer to manufacture my cement as above described, and by so doing can make it more cheaply than by using magnesite, or mechanical mixtures of magnesia, magnesium sulphite, magnesium chloride, and calcium hydrate, I do not Wish to be restricted to my fully described method, but I claim broadly, the combination of magnesia, magnesium sulphite, magnesium chloride, and calcium hydrate, to form a cement.

lVhat I claim is:

1. The step in a process of preparing a calcined dolomite for use in a magnesian cement which consists in subjecting the same to the action of sulphurdioxide and carbon dioxide gases at a temperature greater than 300 C.

2. The process of making a magnesian cement which comprises calcining dolomite at a temperature in excess of 815 (1, hydrating the calcined product, subjecting the hydrated product to the action of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide at a temperature between 300 C., and 7 00 (1., and pulverizing the product.

3. In a process for making a magnesian cement, the simultaneous treatment of a calcined magnesian limestone with carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide at a temperature between 300 C. and 700 G., whereby sulphur dioxide is caused to be selectively absorbed by any magnesia present, and molecular balance obtained between magnesium sulphite formed, and residual calcium lime.

a. The process of preparing a magnesian limestone for use in a magnesian cement which comprises, crushingsuch limestone to fragments of about one inch, calcining the crushed material at a temperature in excess of 815 C., pulverizing the calcined product, and subjecting the pulverized product to the action of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide gases at a temperature in excess of 300 C.

5. The process of preparing dolomite for use in an oxychloride cement which comprises; crushing such dolomite to small frag ments, calcining the same at a temperature in excess of 815 (3., hydrating the calcined product, pulverizing the hydrated-product, and subjecting the pulverized product to the action of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide gases at a temperature between 300 C. and 7 00 C.

6. The process of preparing a magnesian limestone for use in a magnesian cement which comprises, crushing such limestone to small fragments, calcining the same in an atmosphere of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide, pulverizing the calcined product and subjecting the same to gases from the calcination step at a temperature relatively lower than the calcination temperaure.

ROYAL W. GELDE-R. 

